The Serpent Empress Medusa

"The spiritual energy here is so dense."

Yan Lingji stood above the valley, gazing down at the red and white intertwined Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, her peach-blossom eyes filled with wonder.

The two types of spiritual energy collided and merged in the air, transforming into a dense mist; every breath she took left her entire body feeling invigorated.

"If I were to cultivate here, my speed would probably increase more than tenfold."

"Don't even think about it."

"For plants and herbs, this is a natural treasure trove; one year here is equivalent to a hundred years in the outside world."

"But for non-plants, it is impossible to survive here."

"What a pity, then."

"Alright, little enchantress, instead of sighing, why not go down and claim the fortune for yourself?"

As the words fell, a massive torrent of information poured directly into Yan Lingji's consciousness—

The names, effects, harvesting methods, and consumption order of the immortal herbs... everything was provided in detail.

"Consume the Infernal Delicate Apricot and the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass together, then temper your body in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well to achieve the Ice and Fire Golden Body, granting immunity to water, fire, and all poisons. Your External Soul Bone will also be imbued with dual ice and fire toxins."

"The Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew will strengthen your mental power, taking your Fire Charm Technique to the next level."

"The Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid will consolidate your foundation and essence, making your soul power even purer."

"The Aromatic Silk Beauty will cause your Martial Soul to undergo a metamorphosis."

Yan Lingji's eyes sparkled, and a curve tugged at the corners of her lips.

According to this, she could become stronger once again.

No wonder Master wanted her to come here.

This truly is a treasure land.

Just then, a cold, detached voice drifted up from the valley.

"Human, retreat."

Above the valley entrance, a figure slowly emerged.

The upper body was that of a peerless beauty—

Emerald green hair cascaded to her waist, her face was cold and alluring, and her pupils were vertical like a snake's.

Her lower body, however, was a thick, muscular snake tail covered in ink-green scales that shimmered with a chilling luster under the sunlight.

Looking closer, that head of emerald hair was actually composed of countless tiny green snakes entwined together, writhing slightly, enough to make one's scalp tingle.

A thirty-thousand-year-level snake emperor—Medusa.

Every supreme treasure of heaven and earth is bound to have a guardian soul beast. The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was naturally no exception.

"Take her down, but don't kill her. Someone still needs to guard this place."

"As you command, Master."

Yan Lingji smiled enchantingly; it seemed Master had designs on this soul beast as well.

But then again, the upper body was indeed at the level of a beauty.

The black latex suit beneath her black and red dress tightened slightly, outlining her graceful curves.

"She hasn't transformed into human form yet; I have no interest in pure soul beasts," Jiang Ce added. "Don't let her eyes shine on you, or you will be petrified."

Yan Lingji nodded, and her Martial Soul manifested behind her.

A three-meter-long phantom of a Nine-Tailed Fire Fox appeared, its entire body covered in fur as red as flame, its nine giant tails swaying behind it, sending scorching waves of heat spreading in all directions.

Fire Spirit Charm Fox.

"First Soul Skill—Flame Spirit Possession."

Flames surged violently, enveloping Yan Lingji entirely.

All attributes increased to double their original levels, fire damage doubled, soul power consumption decreased by twenty percent, lasting for two hours.

Behind her, the Eight Spider Lances erupted from her body, eight pitch-black spears unfolding, their tips gleaming with a chilling, eerie light.

Under the augmentation of the External Soul Bone, Yan Lingji's attributes climbed once more.

Combined with the triple amplification granted by Jiang Ce—

At this moment, her total attributes had increased to more than five times their original state.

However, Her combat power had increased far beyond fivefold!

"Human—"

Medusa's expression darkened, her vertical pupils flashing brightly.

A grayish-white beam of light shot out from her eyes, heading straight for Yan Lingji.

Medusa's Gaze.

It was the so-called Petrification Beam.

However, the beam pierced through Yan Lingji's body, passing straight through.

An afterimage.

Medusa's pupils constricted sharply.

The next instant, a Flame Slash whistled in from the side, the blazing fire carrying the momentum to incinerate everything as it hacked fiercely into her.

"Ah--!"

Medusa let out a cry of pain, her snake tail lashing out violently in an attempt to dodge, but it was already too late.

The flames exploded against her body, scorching her scales and flesh.

She gritted her teeth and looked up, only to see Yan Lingji's figure flickering incessantly throughout the valley.

Too fast.

So fast that she couldn't keep up at all.

Medusa pursued her frantically.

Petrification Beam after Petrification Beam shot out, turning the surrounding rocks and trees into gray-white stone statues.

But Yan Lingji's figure was like a ghost, disappearing every time just before the beam arrived, leaving behind only a flaming afterimage.

And Yan Lingji's counterattacks never ceased.

Flame Slash, fireballs, Flame Lash--

Wave after wave of fire attacks struck from every angle, landing precisely on Medusa.

She could neither dodge nor block them.

A moment later, Medusa was covered in wounds.

Her scales were charred black, her flesh was mangled, and blood gushed from the wounds on her snake tail.

"Damn it... damn human...!"

Medusa gritted her teeth, a trace of resolve flashing in her eyes.

She took a deep breath, and the soul power within her body began to surge frantically, preparing to unleash her final trump card--

Medusa's Despair.

To burn everything away and perish together.

However, at this very moment--

Yan Lingji's eyes suddenly lit up.

Fire Charm: Soul Capture.

Medusa felt a thunderclap explode in her mind, her consciousness instantly dazed.

The terrifying power that was gathering was suddenly interrupted; her body stiffened in place, her eyes losing focus.

With her speed and spiritual power amplified several times over, Yan Lingji had completely crushed this thirty-thousand-year-old Medusa.

"It's over."

Yan Lingji said softly.

Black Venom tissue surged from her body, moving like a living creature, instantly covering Medusa from head to tail.

"Ah-- what is this?!"

Medusa tried to struggle, only to find that her body was no longer under her control.

The black liquid seeped into her scales, invaded her body, and eroded her consciousness.

"Heh heh, stop struggling; you cannot resist."

Jiang Ce's voice came through, deliberately mimicking the cackling laughter of a Soul Hall elder.

Split.

This was a skill Jiang Ce had previously acquired--

Dividing half of his cultivation years to split off an unconscious body, with the main consciousness able to shuttle freely between the two.

This caused his original forty-five-thousand-year cultivation to suddenly drop to twenty-two thousand five hundred years.

But the price was worth it.

The black Venom tissue completely covered Medusa's body, invading the deepest parts of her sea of consciousness.

A thirty-thousand-year-level snake empress had no power to resist under the erosion of the Venom symbiote.

Her memories were read one by one.

Her skills were copied one by one.

Venom Pool—Condenses a pool of highly toxic liquid, corroding all life within its range.

Medusa Constriction—The serpent tail coils and crushes, inflicting a potent venom effect.

Venomous Purple Ray—A purple beam that inflicts both venomous damage and mental shock upon impact.

Medusa's Gaze—The eyes release a Petrification Beam, turning the target into a stone statue.

Serpent Spirit Wings—Condenses energy wings from the back, significantly increasing flight speed.

Intangibility—Temporarily turns the body into energy, granting immunity to physical attacks.

Serpent Scale Armor—Greatly increases scale defense while providing additional resistance against toxin attacks.

Venom Domain—Releases a highly toxic field; all enemies within range are continuously poisoned and suffer from weakened status effects.

"You... what exactly are you...?"

Medusa's voice was filled with terror.

She discovered that she had completely lost control over her own body, forced to watch helplessly as this monster manipulated her physical form.

"Very good." Jiang Ce controlled Medusa's body as it stood up, her serpent tail swaying gently. "From now on, you are the guardian spirit beast of this place."

The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well lacked Dugu Bo's poisonous miasma for protection, relying only on its hidden location.

But with only a 30,000-year-old Medusa, it would eventually be discovered.

Now, with Medusa parasitized by the Venom symbiote, her strength would improve at a rapid pace.

"Dammit... get off me...!"

Medusa's roar echoed within the sea of consciousness, but it was to no avail.

Jiang Ce controlled her body, using super-healing abilities to repair her injuries one by one, ignoring her struggles entirely.

Jiang Che, this Venom symbiote, was nothing like the Venom symbiote from Marvel.

He did not suffer from the weaknesses of being unable to overcome fire, sonic waves, or lightning.

In fact, even if the host resisted or felt intense loathing, it would not lead to a weakening of the symbiote's form or power, nor would there be any risk of being forcibly extracted from the host's body.

Instead, he could continuously devour to strengthen himself, becoming even more powerful.

However, wasn't that even better?

He was Venom.

The most powerful Venom!

"Master, this Medusa is actually quite beautiful."

Yan Lingji leaned in, looking up and down at the Medusa wrapped in venom.

With the upper body of a cold, alluring beauty and the lower body of a dark green serpent tail, she indeed possessed an eerie, exotic aesthetic.

"That's enough, enchantress."

"Don't waste time; it's your turn."

"Yes, Master."